“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
Are we following the biblical command to destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and are we taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ? Or are we allowing the world to brainwash us?
To answer that, we need to examine what, exactly, those “speculations” and “lofty things” are. How about these to start with – society tells us that:
Gender, sexuality, and sexual practices are personal matters and basically “anything goes.”
Violence, lust, and the occult are acceptable forms of entertainment in movies, TV shows, video games, books, etc.
Scientific theories that discount the biblical narrative concerning the creation, Fall, flood, etc. are true and if you believe the biblical account you are narrow-minded and ignorant.
Economic systems – from capitalism to communism and everything in between – that perpetuate poverty and pain are normal.
There are no absolutes; right and wrong are relative and to say anything else is intolerant.
The list could go on and on ... and on. To obey the command in 2 Corinthians 10:5, we need to take several steps:
1. Examine WHAT YOU BELIEVE and HOW YOU BEHAVE in daily life in all areas: relationships, money, power, science, spiritual matters, entertainment, hobbies, work, church, home, etc.
2. Does WHAT YOU BELIEVE and HOW YOU BEHAVE line up with Scripture?
3. If the answer is ‘no’ in some area, confess and repent – that includes BELIEVING and BEHAVING differently.
Let’s make this personal. I went through my videos last weekend and threw out a bunch of my favorite movies. Why? Simply put, I imagined inviting Jesus to sit on the couch and watch them with me – and I cringed. He wouldn’t find them either amusing or entertaining. He would find them an affront and insult to his holiness.
Now, none of the movies was R-rated. None had racy sex scenes or were horror flicks or anything like that. Let me give you three examples of what went into the trash:
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” It’s a hilarious movie ... but it is all about sex. Does it align with Philippians 4:8? In a word: no.
“Avatar.” I love the scenes of Pandora! But the religious belief system in “Eywa” is counter to my belief in God. It has to go out.
“Return of the Jedi.” No God ... just an impersonal “Force.” Nope: that is out of line with God’s Word.
Is this hard? YES. My mind rebels at tossing movies I have watched and re-watched over the years. I still have more to toss, to be honest. Holiness is hard work.
I encourage you today: take seriously the command in 2 Corinthians 10:5. Do the hard work of holiness. Let it be said of us as individuals and as the Church that “we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
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